MARDAN, Oct 10: A family of Sharifabad (Mardan) burned the Community Health Centre, established by the Human Development Foundation, following the death of a baby.

It is learnt that a resident of Sharifabad, identified as Aurangzeb, took his pregnant wife to the Community Health Centre where their baby was born but as he was in a critical condition, the nurses there advised the couple to take him to a hospital.

The couple took the child to the District Headquarters Hospital Mardan where he was admitted but the doctors there also told them that he was in a critical condition and it would be better if they took him to the Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar.

The child died at the Lady Reading Hospital. The couple returned with his body to Sharifabad.

They thought that their child had died due to the negligence of the Community Health Centre staff. So Aurangzeb, along with his brothers, Jehanzeb and Akhtarzeb, went to the Community Health Centre and beat its staff.

They not only beat the doctor, laboratory technician, nurses, midwives and peons but smashed the equipment of the laboratory, destroyed all medicines and finally burned the centre.

Chairman of the HDF, Rehmatullah Khattak, while talking to this correspondent, confirmed that the incident had taken place.

However, he said that the Community Health Centre was a TOP (Term on Partnership) with the local community and since they remained silent; therefore, no FIR had been lodged.

He also confirmed the closure of the Community Health Centre.

He said that when the community did not need a health centre in their area, there was no point in the Human Development Foundation restarting it again.